The present invention relates to a hollow member washing or cleaning device such as a heat exchanger, wherein workability has been improved.
In a hollow member, such as a heat exchanger or condenser where steam discharged from a nuclear power plant, a thermal power plant and so on is cooled to change to water again for reuse, substances, such as furs, adhere to an inner wall of a pipe, so that efficiency of the heat exchanger is lowered. Therefore, the heat exchanger has to be periodically washed or cleaned.
As a heat exchanger washing device for washing a heat exchanger of this type, a tortuous pipe of the heat exchanger is opened to form a plurality of straight portions, and a washing member or brush in an approximately cylindrical shape is inserted for each straight portion by hand one by one. Then, high pressure water is applied to a rear portion of the washing brush to thereby run or move the washing brush inside the pipe for discharging the substances adhered to the inner wall of the pipe to the outside.
However, in the conventional heat exchanger washing device, since the washing brush is inserted by hand one by one into the straight portions of the pipe of the heat exchanger, work is very troublesome and work efficiency is lowered. Moreover, since many workers are required, large personnel expenses are increased.
Particularly, since work in a nuclear power plant is accompanied by danger of radioactivity, it is desirable to reduce manpower as low as possible.
The present invention is to provide a hollow member, such as heat exchanger, washing or cleaning device and a method for washing or cleaning the hollow member, where the above described defects in the conventional heat exchanger washing device have been obviated.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.